Leonard F. Smith, a McMinnville lumber dealer, began crafting a 15-inch wood planer for personal use in 1921. By 1928, spurred by purchase offers, he established a machine shop. In 1938, the Powermatic Machine Co. was founded, initially focused on electric irons before expanding into woodworking machinery. Despite initially serving only local markets, they expanded nationally by 1950. Leonard's sons took over management in 1958, overseeing significant factory expansion in 1962. Renamed Powermatic, Inc. in 1963, the company was sold to Houdaille Industries in 1966, then to Stanwich Industries in 1986. To counter offshore competition, Powermatic introduced a line of Taiwan-made machines. Jet Equipment & Tools acquired Powermatic in 1999, later becoming part of the WMH Tool Group in 2002, alongside Jet, Performax, and Wilton.

Sheartak provides helical cutterheads for the full range of woodworking machines from 6" jointers to 24" planers. Contact us for a custom cutterhead if you cannot find the model number of your machines from the list.